I think I learned of this show when I saw a video link to it on Youtube after searching for it on there. But having not seen that, I don't know for sure whether there's a movie version of this as well or if it's a compilation of a few of the show's episodes, but I'm going to presume it's the latter. Since that was all that's available last time I checked on there, I tried searching for this at some other video sites before finally coming across the individual episodes on the Archive site, but there are only a few of them (five to be exact). Before I decided to try to see if the whole series was on Kim Cartoons (it is), I checked out all that there is on the other, aforementioned site. And I've got to say, I've been loving/enjoying what I watched so far. I proclaim this to be my most favorite horror cartoon (despite not having watched many) and one of my favorite, Aussie, animated T. V. series. Before seeing this and some, certain others in recent years, the only Aussie cartoon I watched and knew about in my childhood is the 2D animated Blinky Bill. But I consider this program to be among the best to come out of the land down under.
It begins with two teens named Rory and Dawn, who are at odds with each other. Due to their widowed, single parents marrying each other and forcing them to be at their wedding, Rory and Dawn are also forced into a blended family, becoming step-siblings. Rory has a doll known as The Apple Man, which, I think, was given to him as a gift by his late father. As shown in the intro, a scientist has a mishap with an experiment and he's turned into the real apple man known as Wicked, who has an apple core for a head. Somehow, he and the doll version of him seem to have some sort of connection and coincidence with each other. Rory is the first to notice this and Dawn is well-aware of the other, bizarre phenomena. Try as she might, she tries to tell her dad and stepmom about it, but they just won't hear of it. In each episode, there is some theme that involves Wicked wreaking havoc and causing chaos around town, unbeknownst to most everybody else. Rory and Dawn have to put aside their differences and work together to put an end to what he causes. Over time, they gradually get closer, forming an alliance and become more amiable to each other.
The art style is nice enough to look at, with its somewhat rough illustrations and the animation flows nicely. The writing of the episodes' storylines are so well put together that not only do they focus on the horror aspects of it at its center, but also they include either some lesson or message as well. For a couple of examples, the plot line of "Stitched" is about Dawn wanting to get a new sweater to keep up with the latest fashion trend. But after some detergent that was made by Wicked goes haywire, not only at the family's home, but also at the laundromat and possibly at other people's homes as well, Rory and Dawn have to put an end to it. Although her stepmom, Eileen, offers to give her an old sweater as a hand-me-down, Dawn has second thoughts about a sweater and decides that being trendy isn't everything after all. Another episode, "Carnivorous," (which has to do with motor vehicles rather than meat-eating) involves cars and the air pollution they cause to the environment. The step-siblings have the goal of getting the mayor to do something about this hazard. Therefore, this episode has both a vehicular and environmental theme, and message. Those features are what make them interesting or intriguing. The dialogue is well-written too. The characters are great, especially the step-siblings who go through character development and Wicked, who is one of the wickedest villains ever, a bad apple in the truest sense. The music is well-composed, but that's especially the theme song. This is based on a book series. I haven't read any of it, so I can't compare and contrast the show to that nor say if it's loosely based on the books or not, as this has been my only exposure to either and how I made the discovery.
This is most definitely a worthy, must-watch series. It's thrilling enough to keep viewers on the edge of their seats. Now that I've found another video site that has the entire series, I plan to watch episodes I have yet to see. I wish I had been aware of this sooner. One of the best of the 2000s, I'm impressed. Recommended.
